Letter: Public entitled to participate in Belding's open meetings

Thursday

Nov 28, 2013 at 10:09 PMNov 28, 2013 at 10:09 PM

I drafted this letter as I have no other avenue to be heard with the exception of this forum. I do not intend this to be incendiary, only informative to the Belding City Council meeting on Nov. 19. Conceptually speaking, I understand this may not be popular, but I feel it is the right thing to do.

Dennis Cooper Belding

I drafted this letter as I have no other avenue to be heard with the exception of this forum. I do not intend this to be incendiary, only informative to the Belding City Council meeting on Nov. 19. Conceptually speaking, I understand this may not be popular, but I feel it is the right thing to do.Prior to the commencement of the meeting, I entered the council chambers and was directed by audience members to an open seat in one of the front rows. I was immediately beckoned by (Belding Police Chief) Dale Nelson to remove myself from the seat, which I did peacefully and without hesitation. I then chose to stand in a spot near the south wall toward the back of the room. Dale Nelson approached my position for the second time and grasped by right elbow with one hand while placing his other hand between my shoulder blades. He began pulling me toward the door while stating standing room was not allowed in a council meeting and I would have to find a spot in the lobby. Again, I obliged peacefully and without hesitation. This is a glaring violation of the Open Meetings Act and a clear abuse of authority by a uniformed police officer, sadly, one that has been sworn to uphold and defend the very laws which allow us these freedoms.As I entered the lobby, I settled in a spot just outside of the door with several others in anticipation of the meeting. Shortly after, Dale Nelson pulled the door completely shut, as reported in the Daily News, effectively choking the constituency from any opportunity to participate in the meeting. A few minutes later, a young lady sifted through the crowd and pulled the door open. Dale Nelson confronted her at the door, at which time she pointed her finger at him and expressed her intention to support Chief Nelson inside the chambers. He immediately ushered the young lady into the council meeting, allowing her to sit in the very row I was removed from just minutes before. The door to out council chamber was then closed again by Chief Nelson.The above situations were witnessed by several of our community members and appear to be a pattern of behavior according to others. Our council maintains that they were notified of only one spokesperson for the group, so they felt no need to change the venue, but what about those who were not part of the group? Our City Manager, Ms. Meg Mullendore, informed us that city hall was never formally notified, therefore was not obligate to change the venue. I find solace in the fact that city hall is concerned enough for their constituency that they communicated “proper” protocol for venue change prior to the meeting. On the surface, these issues appear relative only to the termination of Officer Cooper. However, at the heart of the matter I am finding rogue city officials and figure heads as well as disingenuous operations. I vow to stand up for our community, dissect these issues, and remain vigilant of our business for years to come. As the adage claims, “It takes a village to raise a child”; I was raised in this community and I owe this to you.Very respectfully,